Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer and also one of the most common tumors worldwide. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral infection (hepatitis B or C) or cirrhosis (alcohol ism being the most common cause of hepatic cirrhosis). In certain regions of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, HCC is the most common cancer, generally affecting men more than women, and with an age of onset between late teens and 30s. This variability is in part due to the different patterns of hepatitis B and hepatitis C transmission in different populations—infection at or around birth predispose to earlier cancers than if people are infected later. The time interval between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and development into HCC can be years, even decades, but from diagnosis of HCC to death the average survival period is several months only. HCC is one of the deadliest cancers in China where chronic hepatitis B is found in 90% of cases. Because of the prevalence of this disease and its grave implications on patients' life expectancy, there exists a need for new methods to diagnose and treat HCC. This invention fulfills this and other related needs.